Design of Inertial Tracking System for Laparoscopic Instrument Trajectory Analysis

Abstract

<p>Laparoscopic surgery has brought about radical change in how surgery is performed today. The advantages of using tiny incisions to perform surgery are marred by very difficult and delicate techniques which must be applied by the surgeon. The need to track laparoscopic instruments results from the significant learning curve required to perform safe laparoscopic techniques, and the need to provide an objective assessment of the surgeon’s skills. The idea is that through recording the instrument’s trajectory, the surgeon can compare his or her movements with that of an expert. This provides an objective evaluation, in which the student can reassess and correct their movement as necessary. By attaching an inertial measuring unit (IMU) to the laparoscopic tool, relative positions and orientations can be calculated, and its path in 3-D can be approximated over time. The IMU data can be streamed to a PC where positions are written to an output file. Using graphing software (MATLAB used in this case) positions are plotted and the created trajectory is subsequently analysed for an objective assessment for comparison evaluations. The following report describes the process of acquiring the tool’s trajectory by using inertial sensors, namely accelerometers and gyroscopes. Explanation of hardware and software design used to obtain position, orientation, and ultimately trajectory, along with experimental results are presented.</p>